His Unbroken Silence
by Letyourmindsoar
Summary: Ryoma lost his voice and his parents. Echizen Nanjiroh adopted him and his twin, since his wife couldn't have children. Will the Seigaku regulars be the ones to get his voice back? UNDERGOING REWRITE!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS

Again, I wrote this because I really, REALLY need to get away from my homework. Please review!

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My name is Echizen Ryoma, and my twin's name is Yuuki. My father is the retired Samurai Nanjiroh. My mother's name is Rinko. She's a beautician, and she loves tennis. My cousin's name is Nanako; she lives with us and does a lot of the housework. I love my family, especially my twin. She's the only one related to me by blood. Yes, the only one. My parents and Nanako are my adopted family. My real parents were murdered a long time ago right in front of my eyes. That scene, the scene of my dead parents, is where I left my voice. My last scream will forever ring in my mind, in that crimson stained memory.

**Chapter 1**

"_Okaa-san! There's a man lying in front of our house!" Ryoma and Yuuki shouted in unison._

"_Eh? A man lying in front of our house?" Their mother asked. She looked through the window, and, true enough, there was a man unconscious on the sidewalk outside of their gate. "Oh, Kami-sama!"_

"_Okaa-san, you shouldn't swear." Ryoma and Yuuki said in unison again. "Would you like us to get Otou-san?"_

"_Please do so," their mother said. Then, she ran outside to the man lying outside_

_Ryoma and Yuuki ran upstairs to their father's office while shouting, "Otou-san!"_

"_Ryoma, Yuuki, what's wrong?" Their father asked._

"_There's a man lying in front of our house. Okaa-san went to help him." They said._

"_Eh? Really?" Their father began walking downstairs._

"_Hai!" The twins followed him._

_Once their father saw his wife helping the man outside, he rushed out the door to assist her. Together, they carried him inside. The placed him on the couch in the living room. The twins watched the man to see if he would wake up; the man didn't move. Their father called for an ambulance, just in case. Their mother walked in with a blanket and placed it over the man. Then, their father walked in. The four of them stood together and watched the man._

_Suddenly, the man jumped up with a knife in one hand. He slashed at Yuuki's right eye. She cried out in pain. Ryoma instantly pulled her close to him, shielding her from another attack. The man, however, didn't attack them. Instead, he pulled out a gun and shot their parents repeatedly until both of them fell._

_Ryoma screamed as tears streamed down his face. He held his sister closer as her own tears mixed with her blood. They moved closer to their parents' bodies. Each step they took stained their feet with blood. They knelt between their dead parents._

_Ryoma screamed again and again. His screams echoed throughout the empty house…_

"Ryoma! Wake up!" Yuuki shouted. She was shaking her thrashing twin.

Ryoma bolted up into a sitting position. He was panting and sweating hard. He held his head in his hands. He felt Yuuki's arms around him, and he leaned against his twin. He closed his eyes. She said, "You _remembered_, right?" Yuuki felt him nod. "Come on. We're going to be late."

Ryoma nodded and looked at his twin. She was already dressed. She left her long hair down today; that meant that it wouldn't be windy. She never left her hair down on windy days. It'd be too troublesome, since it almost reached to her elbows. He looked out the window and saw that it _was_ windy. He looked at his twin with a question in his eyes. Yuuki said, "It's going to stop soon. You know I'm never wrong."

Ryoma nodded. Then, he got his uniform and began to walk out of his room. Yuuki said as he left, "I'll be downstairs." She saw him nod slightly. Then, she whispered, "I'm still here." Ryoma paused outside the bathroom door. He shouldn't have been able to hear her, and he hadn't. Or, well, he hadn't heard her with his ears. He _had_ heard her in his _mind_. No matter how far apart they were, Ryoma _always_ heard his twin. Always.

How did it happen? Why did it happen? Neither of them knew the answers, but they _did_ know it was for the same reason that Yuuki _always_ knew what Ryoma wanted to say. Always.

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A/N: I need yours thoughts on this everyone! I just need TWO reviews. If there are at least TWO people out there reading my story, then I figure it's worth writing.  
Paring suggestions are appreciated!!

Oh, and in this story, Seigaku is a high school. So, Ryoma and Yuuki are 15, Momo and Kaidou are 16, and the rest of the regulars are 17.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS STORY! THIS IS CHAPTER TWO, RIGHT HERE! THIS IS NOT ABANDONED!

I have found that in my extremely long absence (which I profoundly apologize for... while I'm on the floor begging for mercy from my readers... Please don't torture me. I'm sorry! Very, very, very sorry! I'm so sorry!) people are beginning to think I have abandoned this. I have not! I have not been able to write for numerous reasons (I'm not going to bore you with my sob story. My more, eh, scary readers will take it as excuses...) and deeply regret it.

BUT I'M BACK!

So please, don't accuse me of abandoning my story. I won't ever abandon this story (any story, really) or give it up. It's my work, and it holds a special place in my heart. If you see anyone that has "adopted" this story, **_please_** let me know. I have not given anyone the right to "adopt" this. It would _crush_ me to know that someone has _stolen_ my story (which could result in me leaving ffn . net forever).

One more thing before the disclaimer: BETA? Is there anyone willing to be a beta-reader for me? I need someone who knows Japanese culture and the Japanese language pretty well. I want to make this as realistic as possible. I read all reviews, so feel free to offer there. Thank you.

I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS! (and now on to chapter two! For some reason, I am unable to use a line break. Please bare with me. I'll try to edit this as soon as I am able.)

**Line Break**

Ryoma and Yuuki stood outside the door of classroom 1-A. It was their first day at their new school, Seishun Gakuen. They would be in grade ten this year, freshmen by senior high school standards. They hoped that they wouldn't have too much of a hard time explaining their 'conditions' to their teachers.

"Echizen Ryoma, Echizen Yuuki. Please come in and introduce yourselves to your new classmates." Nagasaki-sensei called from the classroom.

Glancing at each other once, the Echizen twins walked in. They stood in front of the class, watching silently as the other students whispered amongst themselves… and the twins knew why. Yuuki's right eye was covered with a plain black patch, simple in design, but still a dark contrast on her pale face. Ignoring the rising buzz, Ryoma handed a manila folder to their teacher. It held a note from the chairman as well as medical documents, proving their 'conditions.' Their mother had figured it would be easier to tell the school straight out, instead of having the twins explain.

Nagasaki-sensei looked at the chairman's note first. He briefly skimmed the enclosed documents. A frown settled on his face. He glanced at his two new students and nodded to show he understood. They returned the gesture in unison, and Yuuki turned to face the class. "Hajimemashite. My name is Echizen Yuuki, and this is my twin brother Ryoma. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." The class replied appropriately to their greeting.

"Ah, well then, there are two empty seats near the back. You may take the seat of your choice." Nagasaki-sensei said, gesturing to said seats. For whatever reason, both were near the windows with one in front of the other. Yuuki took the seat in front, letting Ryoma have the seat behind her. Class began.

**After Class**

"Oy! Echizen! Wait up!" Horio called. Ryoma and Yuuki paused and turned around, waiting for the brunette to catch up. "You wanted to join the tennis club right? Well I, with my two years of tennis experience, also want to join. So let's go together!" He paused. "Ah, but Echizen-chan, you don't have a bag like Ryoma. Are you going to join the girls' tennis team?"

"Iie. I can play tennis, but I prefer not to. I'm only coming to watch." Yuuki replied. Horio soon began to ramble on about the greatness of Seigaku and his "two years of tennis experience." Fortunately, the tennis courts weren't too far away, and the trio reached them in no time. Horio and Ryoma were able to sign up easily and were soon put with the other freshmen.

_I wonder how long it will be until Ryoma decides to show his skills, _Yuuki thought to herself. She was sitting under a tree in the shade, simply watching. Then, suddenly! She saw it! A perfect subject! She pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw him. By his jacket, she concluded that he was one of the regulars. She didn't know who he was, but that didn't matter. Though it was a bit hard to draw him because he was constantly moving, she was very happy with the final product. She held it up to compare the likeness to the actual subject.

"You're quite the artist."

Yuuki gasped and whipped her head around to face the speaker. He had approached from the right side, her blind spot. It always scared her if something came from her blind spot, which was the reason Ryoma always, _always_ walked on that side. The man, however, looked genuinely sorry.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. You were very absorbed in your drawing, but I thought you would have seen me coming from the corner of your eye. I apologize for the assumption." The brunette looked at her with kind cerulean eyes. He also wore one of the regular jackets. "My name is Syuusuke Fuji. I'm a third year and one of the regulars on this tennis team. The man that you drew is Kaidou Kaoru, a second year regular."

"Ah, arigatou Fuji-senpai." Yuuki proceeded to write the second year's name at the top of the page. She wrote the date and signed her name with a flourish.

"Echizen Yuuki? You wouldn't happen to be related to the Echizen Ryoma who just joined, would you?" Fuji asked. He sat down beside her, still staring at her with those cerulean eyes. However, even though she looked, she could find neither pity nor sympathy in those eyes. She smiled. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Hai. He is my twin brother." Yuuki looked over at her twin then. He was easily completing all the tasks set for the freshmen. It was no surprise. Some of the regulars even seemed to be observing him. They were most likely the third years.

"He's played tennis before, right? He's very good, but he doesn't speak." Fuji observed Ryoma as well with those sharp eyes of his.

"He cannot." Yuuki looked at him then. Her golden eye stared at him, daring him to ask something or to look with an unfavorable emotion. He merely smiled sadly and said nothing. He eventually left to go back to practice, but before he did, he made Yuuki promise something. She would meet him after practice and show Kaidou her drawing. She had agreed, as long as she could bring her twin. Fuji had only smiled and closed his eyes, walking away without giving anyone the view of those cerulean eyes.

**After Practice**

"Ryoma. Fuji-senpai wants us to meet with Kaidou-senpai." Ryoma nodded. He shouldered his tennis bag and walked with her to the mysterious third year. He had already changed into his uniform.

"Saa, I realized something just now." Fuji said as they approached. They cocked their heads to the side in unison, silently asking him to explain. Fuji chuckled at the sight. The pair was so cute! "I don't know how to address either of you; after all, you've the same last name. Would Ryoma-kun and Yuuki-chan suffice? Or is that perhaps too familiar?" The Echizen twins glanced at each other before shrugging at their senpai. Fuji smiled once more.

"Fuji-senpai." The trio turned to the gruff voice behind them. It was Kaidou. He was also in his uniform, and his bandana was nowhere to be seen.

"Kaidou! I would like you to meet Ryoma-kun, who just joined our club, and his twin sister Yuuki-chan! Yuuki-chan has something to show you." Yuuki pulled out her sketchbook. She turned to the correct page and handed it to Kaidou. His eyes grew wide.

"You drew this?" Kaidou asked as he looked at her.

"Hai."

"It's good." He handed the book back. Ryoma reached out to take it for Yuuki and looked the drawing.

The page showed a profile view of Kaidou in deep concentration. It only went a little past his shoulders, but there was a sliver of his racket in the picture. It was done in pencil, with a great attention to detail. The design of the bandana was exact as were the lines on his face and the shape of his eyes. Ryoma looked at Yuuki fondly, placing one hand on the back of her head. He handed back the sketchbook. Yuuki smiled at him in return. It was all the conversation needed between the two.

"Saa, I think Kaidou is embarrassed." Fuji remarked. The twins looked at the junior. His ears and park of his neck were a little redder than they had been. Ryoma smirked widely, and Yuuki covered her quiet laughter with her hand.

"FUJI-SENPAI!"

"See?"

**Line Break**

A/N: I apologize once again for being away so long. Thank you for putting up with me. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Prince of Tennis!

A/N: I won't even bother with the excuses... I apologize for the time between updates, but I simply couldn't get it out earlier. I am sorry.

Note: I am somewhat iffy over this chapter; I really had to push through to even get it out. I hope the next chapter will come faster. Once again, I apologize

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**Chapter THREE**

**Time Skip**

The next two weeks passed slowly, quickly, timelessly, and before the Seishun Gakuean men's tennis team realized it, the District Preliminary Tournament was upon them. They had trained hard for this, enduring long hours under Ryuuzaki-sensei's harsh coaching. They had endured Inui's repulsive concoctions. All the Seigaku regulars shuddered at the mere mention of one of Inui's "special drinks." Those vile _things_ made two hundred laps around the entire school look more favorable.

But it was worth it. They were as ready as they would ever be for the Preliminaries. The regulars gathered at the attendance booth with all their supporters and officially entered the competition. Tezuka wrote the names and grades of all his teammates on the appropriate paperwork:

Tezuka Kunimitsu – 3rd year

Fuji Syuuske – 3rd year

Oishi Shuuchiro – 3rd year

Kikumaru Eiji – 3rd year

Fuji Syuuske – 3rd year

Kawamura Takashi – 3rd year

Kaidou Kaoru – 2nd year

Echizen Ryoma – 1st year

It was time.

The Seigaku regulars encountered few difficulties as they quickly defeated their opponents and advanced further in the competition. Before long, they were against their final opponent: the unknown school, Fudomine.

The first match was Doubles 2, Seigaku's Fuji and Kawamura versus Fudomine's Ishida and Sakurai. The Seigaku pair was hard-pressed, but with Fuji's Tsubame Gaeshi, it seemed the match would be theirs. That is, until Ishida revealed his Hadokyuu. Kawamura's wrist was injured, and Fuji forfeited the match. It was 1-0, Fudomine.

The second match was Doubles 1, Seigaku's Oishi and Eiji versus Fudomine's Uchimura and Mori. The Golden Pair easily won the match, leaving the score at a tie, 1-1.

The third match was Singles 3, Seigaku's Kaidou versus Fudomine's Kamio. Although Kaidou failed to reproduce the Boomerang Snake in the match, his willpower and perseverance outlasted Kamio's stamina. The endurance match ended in Kaidou's victory, with the score at 1-2, Seigaku.

It was finally time for Singles 2, Seigaku's Echizen versus Fudomine's Ibu.

The match started out simply enough, with Ryoma the first to serve. Ryoma used his right hand, starting out immediately with the twist serve. Ibu responded in kind, using his kick serve. There was a pause in the game with Ibu pressed Ryoma to reveal his secrets, and Ryoma complied. He played with his left hand.

The match continued, and Ibu's Spot was soon revealed. Ryoma struggled to resist the Spot, but he was at a bit of a loss. When there was a brief pause for a water break, her turned to look at his twin. Yuuki cocked her head to the side in a silent inquiry. She did not play tennis and didn't see how she could help him. She mouthed the words, "I believe in you." That was enough to put a small smile on his face. He returned to the game with renewed confidence.

As he played, he encountered the Spot once more. But this time, he had a plan. Ryoma could not feel his left arm, but he could still move the rest of his body. As the ball approached him, he began to turn to his right. It seemed to be working! His racket grew closer and closer to the ball… It was almost there… So close… _And then the racket slipped out of his hand._

Before anyone could say anything, before anyone could move, the racket was flying away from Ryoma. It flew, spinning towards the net post. As it made contact, it broke mostly into two large pieces, with small shards falling to the ground.

But what happened next was even more unexpected. The handle of the racket bounced back toward him, spinning towards him. Time seemed to slow, and Ryoma could see the sharp end of the broken handle approaching his face. He could not move; he was frozen. He could only watch as it came nearer and nearer to his right eye.

"_RYOMA!"_

He fell to his knees, clutching his right eye. It _hurt. _Oh, dear Kami-sama,_ it hurt_. He barely registered his sister's scream as he tried to think past the sudden onset of pain.

From outside the court, Yuuki fell to her knees at the same time as her twin. She was clutching her own right eye, feeling flashback-induced pain. She could feel the phantom knife ripping through her eye. She could see it happening in her mind. _Oh Kami-sama, dear Kami-sama. Ryoma! Not him too! _She could not think. She could not breathe. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she did not notice. One hand clutched her head; the other remained on her eyepatch. She was lost to the world.

_The man pulled out a gleaming silver knife. He had it raised, and it was coming down. It was close to her face. The point was touching her skin. The hand holding it began to slash down. She felt the blood begin to run down her face first. Then, the _pain_…_

"YUUKI-CHAN!"

And suddenly, she was not there anymore. She was not seven anymore. She was not bleeding anymore. There was no man, and no bloody living room. The pain began to slowly recede, but that did nothing for her state of mind. Yuuki looked around, panicked. Where was she? What was going on? Her left eye appeared wild, as she looked around frantically. _Ryoma!_

There he was! He was walking over to the team benches, one bloodied hand covering his right eye. Blood continued to drip down his face. Yuuki's left eye widened, and she felt her breath begin to quicken. He was hurt; his right eye was bleeding. Her twin… Was he going to… No, she could not think about that! But she couldn't help it. Tears began falling faster. She moaned, "Ryoma…" Her hands moved to return to their places, but larger hands stopped them. She looked up to see the owner, to see cerulean eyes staring back at her.

"Yuuki-chan, it's okay. He's okay; Ryoma is okay. Come, let's go see him." Fuji looked at her worriedly and offered her a hand up. She tried to stand, but her shaky legs would not support her. She would have fallen if it weren't for her senpai's support. Fuji paused only a moment to consider his next action, but his mind was quickly made. Being mindful of her uniform skirt, he picked up his kouhai bridal style.

Yuuki looked up at him surprised, but he only smiled down at her kindly. He carried her into the courts, seating her right next to her twin. Oishi was tending to Ryoma's eye, so he could not turn to his twin. He resigned himself to looking at her out of the corner of his left eye. Fresh tears began to fall down Yuuki's face, and she could not help herself. As soon as Oishi pulled away for just a moment, she wrapped her arms around her twin's slim waist.

Yuuki cried against Ryoma's collarbone, and he put his left arm around her as much as he could. He stroked her hair, letting her know he was all right. He would be fine. He had to be fine, for the match and for Yuuki. Oishi looked at them with a sad smile and continued to tend to Ryoma's eye. Oishi said, "Now that the blood is all cleaned up, it's clear that only your eyelid was cut. There should be absolutely no damage to the eyeball. It would be impossible to play at this point, since you cannot open your eye. The blood will not clot easily because of the wound's location."

Yuuki's tears came faster at the vice-captain's words. Ryoma's eye would be okay; he would be okay. Her twin was _okay_. She buried her face against him with the knowledge that only she would continue to need an eye patch.

Ryoma let out a quiet sigh at the vice-captain's words. His eye wasn't damaged after all. He didn't need to worry; Yuuki didn't need to worry. He was okay. His arm tightened around his twin, knowing they would make it through the day.

Fuji watched the twins carefully. He doubted anyone else saw the relief Oishi's words brought. He almost missed it himself, but his cerulean eyes had revealed themselves just in time. Knowing that he wouldn't miss anything else, he turned his gaze towards Oishi.

Oishi looked up at Tezuka to see what the captain would say. The captain had a look of concentration upon his face, and it seemed he had finally come to a decision. He walked over to Ryoma's tennis bag and skillfully avoided the broken pieces of Ryoma's racket inside. He pulled out the spare and walked back to the youngest member of his team.

Ryuuzaki-sensei took one look at Tezuka and smirked. She turned her gaze towards her former student's adopted son and outright laughed. Oh, these two! They were just as stubborn and persistent as Nanjirou. She tapped Oishi on the shoulder, and he moved out of the way for her. It was a bit difficult to kneel in a position that allowed her full access to Ryoma's eye, with Yuuki clinging to him as she was, but Ryuuzaki-sensei managed.

With deft hands, Ryuuzaki-sensei quickly made a temporary patch over the steadily bleeding wound. She leaned back to survey her handiwork. "It'll hold for a maximum of ten minutes, though I doubt it will even last that long." She said as she stood up. She nodded at them once and walked away to speak with the referee.

Yuuki slowly pulled away from her twin, wiping her face with the back of her hands. She looked at her twin straight on, their left eyes meeting directly. Her fingers light brushed over her twin's cotton eye bandage. Her hand retreated to touch her own silk eye patch. With her other hand, she grasped Ryoma's left one. She nodded at him once and mouthed the words, "I believe in you" once more. He nodded in return. _I will be fine. _Though Ryoma did not state so verbally, she knew what he meant. She always did.

Ryoma turned to look at his captain as he stood up. Tezuka looked at him sternly. He said, "You have exactly ten minutes to win this match. If you cannot win after that time limit, you will forfeit. Do you understand?" Ryoma nodded sharply and took his spare racket from the captain. He would definitely win. He stepped around Oishi and the first-aid kit, heading straight to the court. He was ready. The match continued.

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A/N: This isn't as long as I wanted it to be, actually. I had wanted it to be a lot longer. The next chapter won't have such a large time skip. Please let me know that some of my original readers are still out there! Review!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Prince of Tennis!

A/N: I have had this for quite a while... I may have possibly forgotten to upload it? *flinches* Forgive me? The chapter is here now...

Note: Thoughts will be shown as such: _'Ryoma's thoughts will be italicized and in single quotation marks.'_

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**Chapter FOUR**

_He was ready. The match continued._

Ryoman could see it in the eyes of his opponent; Ibu Shinji wanted to crush him. He mentally snorted. He was not going to lose here. He threw up the ball and served. The serve was the fastest so far, and he could hear cries of amazement from the crowd.

"Fifteen-love!" The referee shouted. Shinji griped his racket with more force.

Ryoma smirked. _'I will find out how you're making my arm go numb. It's only for a second, but I will figure out that technique.' _His let his smirk become more noticeable. He couldn't taunt his opponent verbally, but Ryoma found body language and facial expressions often worked just as well. He served once more. However, Shinji was ready and returned the ball. The ball was hit back and forth until Spot appeared once more.

And once more… and again. The Spot seemed to come at random times; Ryoma couldn't find a pattern. As he moved to hit the ball, his arm froze completely for a second time, and the racket flew out of his hand. He heard the crowd's gasps, and for a few seconds, he was frozen. His mind flashed back to the accident that caused his injury. He looked down as his arm twitched and picked up his racket. _'That won't happen again. I won't let it.'_ His eyes grew determined. His mouth set in a firm line.

He heard Oishi's worried mutterings, though he successfully refrained from looking at his teammates. He knew his time limit was fast approaching. He knew he was still giving points to his opponent. He knew his teammates were beginning to feel anxious. But now, as the match continued, there were three more things he knew. He doubted few people aside from his opponent knew these things, but it was more than enough that he did.

'_I've figured you out Ibu Shinji. You need alternating topspins and slices to numb my arm. That's an interesting technique, watching for muscle contractions. But you've never played a nitouryuu player before, have you?'_

Shinji looked up from his self-mutterings to see Ryoma smirking at him. He grit his teeth; the freshman was provoking him even know. He served, and the freshman returned it easily. He smirk grew wider as he switched hands. Gasps could be heard from the crowd once more.

Ryoma continued to return Shinji's hits with a smirk firmly on his face. The match was going well, and the score was in his favor as it should be. He didn't even need to think about using the one-footed split step. It was natural to him, and he was glad he had practice the technique as much as he did.

He heard a female gasp. "Ryoma-kun!" The freshman trio echoed his name. "Echizen!" He heard sharp inhalations from the crowd, and he could hear the distinct, worried sounds of his teammates. From his twin, however, he heard nothing. Her silence troubled him, but he could not afford to be distracted now. As it was, he was already ignoring the blood seeping through his bandage.

"Game, Seigaku's Echizen!" The referee shouted.

Ryoma served. He won the point, but Shinji tied by winning the next point. However, he won the next two points. As they rallied for the point that would win him the match, he saw Tezuka stand from the corner of his eye. He knew his time was running dangerously low, but there was no way in _hell_ he was losing now. He heard words of encouragement from Momoshiro, and he smiled inwardly.

He smashed the ball, and Shinji caught it, still spinning, in his left hand. "Ah! Echizen is amazing! That smash looked like the Twist Serve!" Horio shouted.

'_Ever the observant one, aren't you?' _Ryoma barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes, but he smirked widely as he heard the score. The game and match were his. He turned to his teammates and hesitantly made a thumbs-up gesture. They all returned it with cheerful smiles. Tezuka nodded, the corners of his lips upturned. Ryoma breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it within the time limit. He looked directly at his twin, and Yuuki smiled brightly at him as she gave him a thumbs-up of her own. The crowd cheered widly.

"Presenting, the District Tournament winner Seishun Gakuen with the runner-up Fudomine Chugakko. We will be anticipating good games from both teams at the Prefectural Tournament. Thank you." (1) Both teams bowed.

Tetsu Ishida turned to Kawamura to inquire about his right arm, but the kind Kawamura told him not to worry. That is, until Momoshiro slipped a racket into the senior's hands. Further down the line, the Golden Pair's opponents wished them a good game while Kaidoh and Kamio exchanged insulting names. As Ryoma moved to walk off the court, Fudomine's Shinji and Tachibana blocked his path.

Shinji said, "Echizen-kun. I feel bad about the injury to your eye. Are you okay?" His voice grew lower as he began to mutter about the accident not being his fault. Ryoma grew puzzled as heard Shinji accusing him of hurting himself. Shinji continued his mutterings until his captain cut in with the sharp call of his name. "Ah, sorry."

Ryoma simply pulled his hat down and nodded. He moved to walk away, but Shinji once more began to speak in low tones. "How rude. He did not even say a single thing in reply to me. He probably does not want to say anything because he is embarrassed he has been found out—"

"Excuse me." Tezuka interrupted. He stepped up behind Ryoma, placing a hand on the freshman's shoulder. He glanced at Ryoma, and their eyes met. Ryoma's eyes were fierce, but they gave nothing away. The younger teen merely nodded. Tezuka looked back to the Fudomine pair. "My teammate does not speak."

Tachibana raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ryoma. His gaze drifted back to Tezuka, and he nodded. "I apologize for my teammate's words. We did not know." The two captains continued to stare at each other until Tachibana spoke once more. "We don't plan on losing twice to the same opponent." (2)

"Aa. We look forward to our next meeting." Tezuka replied, and the two shook hands. Tezuka and Ryoma stepped around the Fudomine pair and rejoined their teammates.

Kawamura spoke up. "Ah, now that everyone's here, I wanted to announce that our celebration dinner is on me, at Kawamura Sushi!" The Seigaku regulars cheered.

Ryoma began to walk over to his sister, but his path was blocked once more. Ryuuzaki-sensei smiled at him. She said, "You did very well today, Ryoma. However, before you go to celebrate, you need to get that eye checked out by a doctor. I will be taking you to the hospital, and you will be able to meet with everyone later."

Ryoma pulled his hat down and nodded. Yuuki came to stand beside him, and she looked at Ryuuzaki-sensei with a question in her eyes. The coach answered. "I will be taking only Ryoma. There's no need to take more than one person from the celebration. Come, Ryoma. We should leave now." Ryoma and Yuuki looked at each other. They knew they had no choice in this matter. They hugged briefly, and Ryoma left to follow the quickly leaving coach.

**Later that evening**

Ryoma slid the door open to see absolute chaos. His eyes met with Yuuki's and she smiled. She waved a hand to the empty seat on her left side, and he made his way over, dodging and stepping over various regulars. He sat down and nodded a greeting to Fuji, who sat across from Yuuki. He felt Yuuki's left hand sneak closer to his right hand, and they locked their pinky fingers together. They had often done this as children to give each other hidden comfort, and they needed it now, after the day's earlier events.

"How is your eyelid, Ryoma-kun?" Fuji asked. Ryoma looked at his senpai and gave him a small thumbs-up. "That's great." The tensai smiled, and he was a tensai with reason. He had seen the twins link their pinky fingers, and he knew the reasons behind the action. However, he would not comment on it. He knew the protective feelings a sibling felt for an injured on; he had often felt the same need for comfort whenever Yuuta was injured. Speaking of Yuuta, these two really reminded him of his younger brother…

"Echizen! I'm glad to see you're okay. Here you go!" Kawamura came from behind him and set a platter of sushi on the table. "Your sister mentioned to me that you liked the same foods, so we prepared the same platter. Enjoy!" Kawamura left to serve the other regulars. Ryoma looked down at the platter, and a small smile slipped onto his face. All his favorites were right in front of him! He dug in eagerly. Yuuki chuckled and continued eating herself.

Fuji looked at the twins and smiled. They really were adorable, and they looked so similar! He let out a small chuckle of his own. He didn't intend for the two to hear him, but they did. Ryoma and Yuuki looked up at him, questions in their eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking you two look uncannily similar: your eyes and hair, facial structures, overall physical structures, and your gestures." The twins stared at him, and he laughed again.

"Fuji! You're so selfish! You have an entire platter to yourself. Let me help you along!" Kikumaru exclaimed. Before anyone could stop him, he ate a piece of Fuji's sushi. He chewed, swallowed, and began to choke. "Wahh! Fuji! What is this? So spicy!" Kikumaru grabbed Fuji's tea and finished it in one gulp. "Wahh! Too hot! Fuji!"

Fuji looked at his fellow year-mate with a completely innocent look. "It's my favorite, Eiji, wasabi sushi." Kikumaru continued to exclaim as he ran to his doubles partner, looking for drinks to cool down his mouth. Fuji covered his mouth as he laughed. Kikumaru was just too funny. He looked up to see the Echizen twins laughing themselves. They really were adorable!

"Fuji-senpai, can I sit here?" The trio looked up to see a slightly blushing Kaidou.

Fuji looked up at Kaidou and followed the junior's flickering gaze. His eyes landed on a curious Yuuki. _'Saa, looks like someone has a crush.'_ Fuji looked back up at Kaidou. "Go ahead, Kaidou. I won't stop you." The junior muttered a gruff "thank you" before sitting down, sushi platter and tea in hand.

Ryoma looked up and met Kaidou's eyes. He knew his eyes were fierce, and he intended them to be. He had seen Kaidou's glances at his twin, and he had seen the blush creeping up the junior's neck. He smirked slightly; if Kaidou wanted to date his twin, the junior would have to go through him first.

Yuuki averted her eyes. Unlike her twin, she was not oblivious to others' feelings towards her. It was a bold move on Kaidou's part to sit at their table, and she did her best to force down the blush she could feel. Her pinky finger tightened around Ryoma's. She knew where his thoughts were going, and Kaidou would not be safe if they continued.

The table was silent as its occupants silently ate and eyed each other. They paused in their eating when Fuji looked up and pointed to the counter. The three lower classmen looked over to see Kawamura's father offering Tezuka alcohol. Tezuka said seriously, "I am the captain, Tezuka."(3) Everyone laughed even as Kawamura's father apologized profusely, completely embarrassed.

**That night**

Ryoma turned over onto his right side, facing his bedroom wall. He could not sleep. His mind was restless, his thoughts running wild behind his eyes. He sighed and sat up. Karupin shifted at his feet causing him to pause. Fortunately, his Himalayan cat did not wake up, and he swung his legs out of bed. He rested his elbows on his knes and clasped his hands together, setting his chin down on his hands. He stared at the opposite wall; the moonlight from the window illuminated his room well enough for him to see the wall clearly. But he didn't see the wall. Instead, _that crimson-stained memory_ flashed before his eyes, mixing with the day's earlier events. The sights were running together, and closing his eyes did nothing.

Ryoma shook his head. He used his hands to push down on his knees as he stood up. There was only one way he would get any sleep that night. He walked outside his bedroom.

Yuuki turned over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She could not sleep. Her thoughts were flying through her mind in twisted circles. She sat up and sighed. She pushed off her blankets, untangling them from her legs. She crossed her legs and rested her elbows on the sides of her thighs. She clasped her hands together and set her chin upon them. She stared at her door; the moonlight from the window illuminated her room well enough for her to see the door clearly. But she didn't register the door. Instead, _crimson-silver pain _made her right eye twinge with pain, and she could only think of the pain Ryoma must have felt.

She shook her head. She swung her legs out of bed and stood up. There was only one way she and her twin would get any sleep that night. She walked outside her bedroom and into the hall.

Ryoma and Yuuki's eyes met as they simultaneously stepped out into the hall. They did not say a single word and met halfway between their rooms. The twins sat down, backs against the wall. They leaned against each other as they linked their pinkies. Yuuki rested her head on Ryoma's shoulder, and he laid his head atop hers. Their eyes fluttered closed, their minds slowed down, and their breathing matched the other's. They were soon peacefully asleep, dreaming of sweet nothings and kind darkness.

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**A/N: **So what did you think? Please let me know in a review!

Oh, and as a bonus, I will be posting a short omake at the end of the next chapter. Look forward to it!


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